Pharmacy Owners, Don't Overlook The Importance of Soft-Skills

You may have heard the old adage, “When you are up to your neck in alligators it’s hard to remember your goal was to drain the swamp.”??

Running a retail pharmacy is hard.? Routine tasks need to be done quickly, and accurately.? But then, unexpected problems arise and you scramble to meet a patient or provider need or struggle to locate a much-needed medication.??

As you deal with these problems you may fail to remember that what you are doing is much more important than filling prescriptions.? You are helping people live happier and healthier lives.? Indeed, you are engaged in a truly noble cause and taking time to remember that will benefit you and your pharmacy.??

Years ago, I read a business book that claimed a managers most important job was to create a positive corporate culture.? The author argued that no matter what products or services you provided someone else could provide something just as good too.? He claimed your only sustainable competitive advantage was the way you treated people.??

Just think, every other retail pharmacy carries the same medications, and, for the most part, charges the same co-pay.? So, how do you differentiate your pharmacy from all the others???

Several things come to mind; your location, how nice the pharmacy looks, and your hours of operation to name a few.? But I want to suggest another, more important element; how you and your team value yourselves.??

Do you see yourself as healthcare professionals who provide services that go far beyond putting the right pill in the right bottle??

Most of you will be able to recall seeing pictures of a World War 1 recruitment posters with Uncle Sam pointing his finger and saying, “I Want You.”? ?Uncle Sam was asking young men to leave their homes, eat crummy food, sleep in foxholes and charge machine gun nests.? And all for lousing pay.? Yet, they signed up by the thousands.? Why, not for the money but to support a noble cause.??

Are you tapping into the value of a noble cause as you recruit, train, and retain good employees??

Some ways I have seen this done involve having good team meetings.? In your meetings put on the agenda time for team members to share a story of how a patient benefited from something extra the pharmacy did.? Share stories of how a patient’s family member thanked you for staying open a bit late to pick up a prescription after you were closed.? Talk about how a specific prescriber called and needed help with a hard-to-find medication.? Teach your team to look for and share these kinds of stories.?

As a manager your job is to reward good behavior and put a damper on the not so good.? This requires skills that were not taught in pharmacy school but are just as important as any clinical skills you have.? Read business books, take employees out to lunch and listen.? Ask for suggestion and implement them.? The way you build up your team and help them realize that, at your pharmacy, you are all doing something much more important than accurately filling prescriptions.? Doing so will pay off as they realize they are making a difference in the lives of others.

You, and your team, are your major competitive advantage!? You still need to pay competitive wages but having a place where people take pride in what they do, where they are eager and willing to go the extra mile will help you attract and keep good people.?

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